Kosovo scored a big and fully deserved victory in Ljubljana, defeating Slovenia 0-2 in the fifth round of the group stage in the World Cup qualifiers.
With this triumph, the Dardanians reach the quota of 10 points, mathematically securing the play-offs, while the group is led by Switzerland with 13 points. Slovenia remains at the quota of 3 points, while Sweden closes the ranking with only 1 point.
The match started in the best possible way for Kosovo. Only in the 6th minute, a fantastic deep pass from Mërgim Vojvoda that completely escaped the Slovenian defense, found Fisnik Asllani free, who calmly sent the ball into the bottom corner of the goal for the score 0-1.
PHOTO: Sefer Aliçkaj telegrafi.com
Kosovo continued to stay compact, managing the game and forcing Slovenia to attempt mainly from distance.
The home team's most dangerous chance came in the 30th minute, when Tomi Horvat shot hard, but Amir Shaipi reacted fantastically.
The first half ended 0-1, with a very mature performance by the Dardanians, who, in addition to the goal, also threatened with several half-chances.
As the second half began, Slovenia made two changes, but their plans were quickly shattered.
In the 47th minute, Petar Stojanovic was booked with a yellow card, and just a few minutes later (53') he received a second one after a harsh tackle, leaving the Slovenians with 10 men.
Kosovo immediately took advantage of the numerical advantage. In the 63rd minute, after a beautiful combination and a shot by Muslija, which was stopped by Oblak, the Dardanians won another corner kick.
Just a minute later, the decisive moment came. In the 64th minute, during a quick move, Muslija crossed the ball into the penalty area in search of Vojvoda. Defender Zan Karnicnik misjudged the ball and sent it into his own net – an own goal that brought the score to 0-2.
Kosovo had two good chances to extend their lead, but Veldin Hoxha was stopped by Oblak, while Muslija shot beautifully, but the ball went wide of the post.
With this triumph, Kosovo not only wins the match with dominance, but also achieves the main objective of the group stage: qualifying for the play-offs. Another big step towards the dream of the World Cup. /Telegraph/
